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THE LAST HEROby
Bob Bowman | |
This
month, as we celebrate the 167th anniversary of Texas' independence, it's probably
a good time to tweak the collection conscience of East Texas.
The last
surviving veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, lies
in an almost forgotten cemetery in deep East Texas, his tombstone chipped and
broken. Few people are aware of the grave.
It's an ignoble resting place
for a proud old soldier, John G. Pickering, who died in 1917 at the age
of 99 following a career that also included service in the Mexican War, a legacy
as a country physician, and a reputation for caring for the poor and unfortunate.
For his service to Texas, he received a pittance of $12.50 a month.
A
native Mississippian, Pickering came to Texas as a boy printer. He recalled that
Andrew Jackson once placed his hand upon his head and told him, "You're a fine
boy."
Landing in Texas in 1836, he joined Texas' revolutionary forces
at Liberty, enlisting in W.A. Patton's company in Colonel Sidney Sherman's Regiment.
"That was in April, and our men met Sam Houston at Grace's Crossing on the Brazos
River after a four-day march and joined the retreat to the San Jacinto River.
We tore down a house owned by Mr. (Lorenzo de) Zavala and made a raft to cross
the river," Pickering told a newspaper reporter in 1916.
Pickering fought
ferociously at San Jacinto as Houston's men whipped Mexican General Santa Anna's
troops in 18 minutes. He stood with Deaf Smith, Big Foot Wallace and other Texas
heroes when Santa Anna was brought before Houston as he lay wounded on a blanket
under an oak tree.
That night, Pickering decided to kill Santa Anna to
avenge the fallen Texans at the Alamo and Goliad. But Houston learned of his plan
and put the young soldier under guard. "Now that time has passed, I see that Sam
Houston saved me from a thing I would have always regretted," said Pickering.
With Texas' independence assured, Pickering became an apprentice to
Dr. Anson Jones, who had treated Houston's wounds at San Jacinto. Jones taught
him the fundamentals of frontier medicine -- a profession he would practice for
more than sixty years. He was known for his kindness and his frequent refusal
to take money from the poor.
During his nineties, Pickering was often
called upon by lawyers as a witness in land cases with roots in the l830s and
l840s. Few questioned his judgment or memory.
But in one case, when a
Hardin County judge questioned Pickering's presence at San Jacinto, an attorney
produced a volume of Brown's History of Texas, which carried the name "J. Pickering"
as a combatant.
Pickering outlived two wives, Martha Remwater and Elizabeth
Williams. As a physician he lived in several communities in Jasper, Hardin and
Tyler counties. In his nineties, he moved to Angelina County to live with his
son-in-law, Johnnie Williams, on a small farm near Zavalla -- a town that ironically
bears the name of the man whose house helped him cross the San Jacinto River in
1836.
Pickering lived a modest life at Zavalla, rarely complaining, except
to remark that he would like a new suit for his 100th birthday.
In February
of 1917, he left home in his buggy, pulled by his faithful old mare Dolly, to
visit his friend, Hannibal Mott. Caught in a rain shower, he became sick and died
at Mott's house on February 4--eleven months short of his 100th birthday.
The last hero of the Battle of San Jacinto was buried in an old suit.
All
Things Historical
April 13-19, 2003 column
A
syndicated column in over 40 East Texas newspapers
This column is provided as a public service by the East Texas Historical Association.
Bob Bowman is a former president of the Association and author of nearly 30 books
on East Texas.
See
also:
Battle
of San Jacinto by Archie McDonald
Battle
of San Jacinto by Murray Montgomery
San
Jacinto Monument
Alfonso
(Alphonso) Steele - Last Texas survivor of the battle of San Jacinto, and
a State Park dedicated to him |
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